Attempted robbery thwarted at Alpine store

ALPINE 
A clerk resisted an armed would-be robber Thursday and the gunman left without cash, the Sheriff’s Department said.

The man walked into the Ranch Market on Harbison Canyon Road near Dehesa Road about 10 a.m. and began talking to the clerk, said Sgt. Chuck Browning. He then showed the clerk the handle of a gun that was tucked in his front pocket and demanded money, Browning said.

The clerk thwarted the robbery and the man left in a full-size, red four-door Dodge pickup truck. It had tinted windows and Arizona license plates, the sergeant said.

Browning declined to specify what the clerk did to stop the robbery attempt. No one was hurt.

The would-be robber was described as white, between 30 and 33 years old, about 5 feet 1 inch tall, weighing about 140 pounds, with a thin build and balding, light-colored hair. He was wearing a black sweater and blue pants.

Anyone with information can call the Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200.